System and method for environmental data acquisition

In a data acquisition system and method for real time monitoring of stack gases in a continuous monitoring system, data is collected from sensors and prepared for output to a regulatory agency. The data collected may relate to emissions of oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and oxides of sulfur, typically from an industrial facility. Sensors in the exhaust gas pathway report data to a programmable logic control device and are then stored in a data storage area. A data acquisition module quantifies the stored emissions data. The quantified emissions data is then sent to a regulatory agency via a communications link.